Planned Destruction
by MagicalEra
Summary: It was a cold winter night when he stepped back into my life. He had come to tell me that my life had not been what I thought it had. To say that everything that I had known in Hogwarts was a joke and it had met nothing. Thats not the truth.
1. Chapter 1

was worried and pacing. Yeah, thats right! Me, worried! Here I was, a 37 year old man and I could not stop my childish ways. I stopped my pacing around my office and looked outside at the snowy grounds of Hogwarts. I was able to see my reflection in the mirror and was quite shocked at what I saw. My normally curly black hair was lank around my face, and brown eyes show the horrors of the past years. My fair skin was paler than usual and I quickly turn my back on the reflection.

I resumed my pacing around my office. _My _office? I do not think that I could ever think of the room I was in as my office. I had spent too many of my Hogwarts years getting in trouble and sent to this very room where I would be reprimanded by none other than Professor McGonagall, my old head of house. Yet now, here I was. I had overtaken McGonagall's postion as both Head of House and Transfiguration professor. Twenty years ago I would have thought the idea of becoming a Hogwarts professor improbable.

I had an appointment that evening. An appointment with a dear friend of mine. Well, at least he had been twenty years ago at Hogwarts. After all this time, however, we had last contact. So many horrible things had happened whilst we had been silent. Three of my other dear friends were dead, and one dearly deserved the killing. As much as I hated to mention it.

Two days ago, I had received a letter from this friend. He told me that he wanted to meet with me. No words of friendship or familiarity were exchanged. The letter had felt cold and empty, and I had been hesitant to agree to see the man once more. However, against my better judgement, I agreed.

There was a small knock on my mahogany door and I jumped in the air. My heart was pounding violently in my chest and I reached a shaking hand towards the doorknob. As the door opened, my heart swelled at the sight of the man that had been one of my best friends.

At first we leaned forward to give each other a friendly hug, but being hesitant, we shook hands. I helped him dispose of his traveling cloak, which had no possible way of keeping him warm anyway. He proceeded to sit down in one of the two chairs that were positioned in front of my desk.

I sat behind my desk, as I would normally for any other appointment. However, after I had done it I wished I did not. It made the meeting with the raggy man seem too formal.

"Good evening, Professor," The man said and I immediately jumped at being addressed they way he had. Never in a million years would I ever imagine him calling me _Professor_.

"Please, don't call me Professor," I insisted, and he look slightly happier. "We didn't go to Hogwarts together so that when we met again we would act like strangers."

"Alright, _Casey_," the man said, and I easily relaxed. "I guess you know why I am here?" I nodded my head solemnly and stood up and resumed my spot by the window. My back was to him.

"Yes," I whispered lightly as I watched the lights in Hagrid's small cabin flicker off. "I do. We are here to discuss things that I wished had never occurred." I groaned as I thought of all of the deaths that had very recently occurred.

"Many people wish that they did not happen," My friend muttered. He stood next to me, and I saw the crescent moonlight shining on his scarred facial features. "But they did, and the only thing that we can do is fight back."

"But what does _he _have to do with it all, Remus?" I groaned and stamped my foot. "He betrayed us all!" Remus shook his head weakly and I was stunned. What was he saying no for?

"It was not Sirius, Casey. It never was." Remus Lupin whispered, as I sunk into my leather chair. "It was Peter. It was he who betrayed us. We were fooled. We were lied to, it was all a lie. A set up. Our whole life at Hogwarts meant nothing because of Peter Pettigrew." My heart was pounding in my chest. I refused to believe a word Remus said, even if at one point I had trusted him with my life.

"You are lying. It could not have been Peter! He was always weak, not like Sirius. Sirius was able." I snarled angrily. It was impossible for Peter Pettigrew to do all of those horrible things to our lives.

"You are correct about one thing, old friend," Remus said, with much confidence in his voice. He sat down gracefully in the chair in front of mine. "Sirius was strong. Strong enough to say no to Voldemort. But Peter, he gave in. He gave in because he was scared for his life." I groaned, and faced with this view, I could not help but agree.

Seventeen years ago, when two of my good friends, Lily and James Potter were murdered, I was skeptical. At first, it did not seem possible that the Dark Lord was dead, and little Harry Potter still alive. Then I heard from Minerva McGonagall herself that they were dead.

I felt that this had been the worst news that I could have ever possibly heard. However, I was contradicted soon after. I had been working in the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at the time, a postion that I had started just to help out with defeating Voldemort. I was called to scene with Cornelius Fudge himself, and what I saw was burned into my brain for the rest of my life.

I saw Sirius Black, laughing in an maniacal way. His head was thrown back and his long black hair tossing about in the wind. Around him, there were dead bodies everywhere and a small crater in the middle of the road. I had started to make my way towards Sirius, but a Muggle cut me off, terrified.

"He killed them!" The muggle screamed, tears flying down her dirt covered face. She had been pointing at Sirius, and I knew she must have made a mistake. "A short man blamed him for killing some Potters and then he killed them!" I remembered to this day, how my stomach had turned inside out. Sirius kill James? No, Voldemort had.

"Peter?" I had asked and then searched for the man. Several other members of the Squad had arrived and arrested Sirius. I had not been worried about that at the time, but I had searched for Peter. I only found his finger.

It was at that point, that I had thrown up. I had been ready to jinx Sirius to high heavens, but the Squad had whisked him away before I got the chance to get near him.

I quite my job soon after that experience. The Order of the Phoenix, which I had also been a part of, fell a part, and most were glad that they were gone. I worked in Diagon Alley, and then proceeded to work at Hogwarts after Professor McGonagall asked me to work in her unfilled spot. I accepted it, and I had hoped to meet James' son, but was greatly disappointed when I found out he denied attendance.

"Casey?" I was brought back to the present time as Remus called my name. "Are you okay, mate?" I nodded my head and once again resumed my spot by the window. I could not help it, I enjoyed the few. It always helped me calm down.

"Did you know I pranked Snape a few days ago?" Remus smirked and let loose a laugh.

"You didn't!" He exclaimed and I grinned and nodded.

"Yep," I said with a grin. "Tossed a dungbomb in his breakfast just like in sixth year." Remus laughed once again, and it made greatly yearn for the days before all of this horror happened.

"Remus, do you remember our seventh year?" Remus just chuckled gently and nodded his head.

"I sure do mate, I sure do." He whispered.


	2. Morning Waking

**Chapter 1**

"OPEN UP!" I screeched. My voice was immediately getting hoarse. I had been banging on my sister's door for the past half an hour. My father, who was a healer at St. Mungo's, was about to leave to go to Hogesmeade. I was sent to round up my sister and one of her best friends so we could leave to get the equipment we needed for our last year of Hogwarts. "As if it really takes you this long to get ready!" I pounded my fist on the door again and it flew open.

My very irritated sister stood there, her long curly black hair was back in a bun, and her hands were neatly on her hips. She gave me a glower that easily said I was in trouble.

"Casey Logan Riley," She said calmly, and it was this voice I was frightened off. I could very easily deal with her shouting, but it was the cold whispering that made me scared. "We will be ready when we are ready. Now why don't you go and tell dad that we will be done in five minutes." The door was slammed in my face and I just shook my head softly.

I marched down the stairs to report to my father my findings. He was sitting at the kitchen table, with the Daily Prophet opened ideally before him and he was chewing bacon. I rolled my eyes at him. What happened to we will be leaving in exactly five minutes? My father was well known for his ever changing mind.

"Hey pops," I said as I slapped him gently on the back. My dad had always hated when I called him _pops_. "Lainy said she would be down in five minutes." He nodded his head gently, still immersed in the newspaper.

"I wish you would put that wretched thing down," My muggle mother snarled as she set down more food for my three year old brother Kyle. I walked over to him and ruffled his hair gently with my hand, and this sent him into a fit of giggles. That had always been his way of greeting me, at first I had always thought he had been laughing at me, but as it turned out it was basically all Kyle could say. "It so unnatural. Those pictures moving!"

My mother had not always hated anything magical. My dad had told her that he was a wizard before the two of them married. From what my father told me, he had said that she thought it was sweet at first. Then after my older brother Jesse had been accepted to Hogwarts, her view completely changed. She would not let either me nor Alaina near Jesse when he was practicing magic, and we were not allowed to attend Diagon Alley with him, or go to King's Cross. My mother apparently thought if we stayed away from magic, we would not become wizards. Obviously, my mom was very wrong. Now, she banned all of us from doing magic in front of Kyle, but he still found out about it and fell in love with it.

My dad did no oblige to my mother's request and he pulled up his newspaper closer to his face. My mother, angry at him for passing down his magic genes, snatched the paper from my father. He just chuckled, took out his wand and summoned it back. My mother squealed, as she hated that my father had used his magic against her. My mother growled at my father, and gave him a look that clearly said that they would talk about it later.

I knew that talking about it would be an understatement. My parents would not just talk about, but shout. Though by now I was used to their never ending fighting, I did not wish my baby brother to go through that kind of hell.

Me and my siblings got along ten times better than my parents did. I was closest to Alaina, and always had enough time to play Quidditch with Jesse. Also to show my magic tricks to Kyle, who loved them. I never fully understood why my parents couldn't get along, when me do now.

My dad groaned as my mother left the room and I sat down next to him and tapped my foot impatiently. My dad laughed, gaining his normal outlook, and clapped me on the shoulder.

"She is a woman, Casey," My dad said, and I knew he was talking about my sister, not my mother. My dad never talked about my mother in a friendly fashion. "Don't rush her, we have all day long." I nodded my head, but secretly did not agree.

After ten minutes of sitting downstairs and Alaina _still _not coming down, I groaned. "DAD! She is taking to bloody long!" My father laughed and my mother scolded me for using improper language. I rolled my eyes at the two of them and resumed my place in front of Alaina's door, and started to bang upon it once again.

Upon my surprise, it was not Alaina who opened the door, but her best friend Alyssa Phoenix. I was immediately silenced, something that was quite common when I was around her. She had long dark brown hair, and startling chocolate brown eyes. I was taller than her by about five inches, which made me have to look down into the depths of her dark eyes. I felt as though my heart exploded at the sight of her, in a good way.

"Um, hey - I - um, when are you going to be done?" I stuttered, and it was quite inevitable that I did so. Every time I was around this pretty girl I could never get a damn clear word out. Alyssa raised one of her lovely little eyebrows at me and smiled gently.

"We are done, Alaina is just rounding up Chance now," I nodded my head and went downstairs to report this to my father. Chance was Alaina's black cat who had a certain gift for hiding in odd places.

As soon as I told my father they were almost ready, I plopped myself down into the nearest chair and settled my head down against my hand. I must have had an extremely lovesick look on my face, because my father commented on it.

"Aww, my little boy is growing up!" He exclaimed in my ear, when my mother was out of earshot. I smirked at my father.

"Dad, if you have not noticed, I have been growing up for the past seventeen years, but it is about time you finally noticed!" I said with a trademark smile that was identical to my sister's. My dad chuckled at me and stood up.

"I think you know quite well what I mean," My dad whispered, just as my sister and her friend ran down the stairs. Alaina promptly walked over to my father and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

"Good morning, dad," Alaina said with a grin. My dad hugged her tightly to his chest. Everyone in our family knew how protective he was of her. Alaina was my father's only girl and I knew watching over her would become my job once we went back to Hogwarts, now that Jesse was finished.

"Good morning pumpkin!" He exclaimed, which made Alaina roll her eyes. Dad had been calling her that since she was around the age of five, and it should have stopped then. "Ah! Good-morning Alyssa! Hope Lainy's snoring did not keep you up all night!" Of course, my sister did not snore, but it was the thought that counted.

"Not that long, Mr. Riley," Alyssa whispered in that soft tone of hers that made my heart throb once more.

"For the last time, call me Daniel!" My father said as he placed a gentle hand on Alyssa's shoulder. "You have been around my family long enough to call me dad! No more of this Mr. Riley business, you hear?" Alyssa just nodded her head and gathered her red owl in her arms. "So are you girls ready to go?" Alaina and Alyssa nodded their heads. "Are you Casey?" I gawked at my extremely unobservant father.

"Dad! I have been ready since the moment I woke up. If you recall, the only reason why we have not left yet is because Ms. Alaina over there took an hour to get ready!" My dad just laughed as my extremely short sister hit my on the head.

"Very funny _Mr. Casey_, but if I recall its only been half an hour! Don't exaggerate." I rolled my eyes at Alaina.

Gosh darn, don't you just love my sister?


	3. Diagon Alley

**Chapter 2**

Diagon Alley was its usual busy self. My sister, Alyssa and I had managed to sneak away from my father as soon as possible. We all knew after the six years of shopping with him in Diagon Alley, that he would soon give up looking for us and we would meet him in the Leaky Cauldron, where he would be sitting having a long drink of Firewhiskey and chatting it up with people he knew.

"So where to first?" I asked impatiently. It was eleven o'clock and I was supposed to meet my best friend at twelve. I could not be late. He would probably flay me alive!

"How about Gambol & Japes?" My sister suggested, with a mischievous smirk in her eye. Ahh, the old Gambol & Japes, defiantly on my top three favorite stores list, right under Honeyduke's and Zonkos.

"Aw, sweet sister," I said with a grin, and I flopped my arm down around her shoulders. "The moment we get into Diagon Alley, to get our _school supplies _I might add, you want to run off to a joke shop! Tsk, tsk!" Alaina elbowed me lightly in the ribs and ducked out from under my arm.

"Oh, and dear brother where do you want to go?" Alaina said with a smirk that told me that she could see right through me. That had always been the problem of being so close. I could and would never be able to lie to my sister.

"Um..." I drew out my breath which made both of the girls raise they eyebrows at me. "Gambol & Japes. Who wants to race me?" I smiled as both Alaina and Alyssa ran ahead of me, without even waiting for the sign to go.

When I finally caught up to the two of them, I was immensely out of breath. My side had a cramp in it that would rival a killer whale. My eyes were starting to water from the pain and I felt like I had a Charlie Horse in both of my legs. _Charlie Horse_? Who came up with that?

"Casey, are you okay?" Alaina asked me, as I stood bent double before them. I could tell that my dear sister was genuinely worried for my safety, but my _ego _got in the way.

"Just fine, just fine," I wheezed, still clutching my side tightly. "You two bloody cheated!" Alaina and Alyssa giggled and helped me to stand up straight. My whole left arm seemed to grow numb from the place where Alyssa had touched it. I quickly shook them both off and leaped up the steps and through the doors of Gambol & Japes.

"Ha! I won!" I grinned happily as both girls rolled their eyes and walked slowly up the steps. I spun around in a celebratory dance. "You two are way too sympathetic. You need to learn when someone is joking and when they are not." Alaina poked me roughly in the side where I still could feel the cramp. I doubled over again, moaning pain.

"Are you still so sure you were joking, Casey?" Alaina said with a grin. I sent the most evil glare I possibly could at her and wished to the high heavens that I could for once be able to lie to her. Alyssa once again helped me up and sent me a sympathetic grin.

"You better watch out, Casey, Lainy is perhaps a little too violent today," Alyssa said with a grin and Alaina sent me a smirk that was identical to mine.

"No, she is normally not violent," I said to Alyssa, and I could see that Alaina had sent me an extremely kind smile. "She just is whenever I am around." My sister walked over to me and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"Finally, you got something correct, Casey!" Alaina exclaimed happily. I rolled my eyes at my extremely over ecstatic sister, and we split our ways. I went down the aisle of extremely explosive tricks whilst my sister and Alyssa went down the aisle that held the pranks that could never really hurt anybody. I just scoffed at them. What was the point of pranking somebody...if you did not hurt them?

Upon my search for the perfect pranking tool, I bumped into someone. That is defiantly to be taken quite literally.

"Hey! Watch where you are going! This ain't the jungle, bloke!" However as soon as these words were out of my mouth I was silenced. There before me stood my best friend of six years. His ebony hair was glowing in the overhead light making it look blue, which made me extremely jealous.

"Dude! I thought you were not coming until later!" I clapped Edward Thomas on the back in what us guys called 'a hug'. He grinned a smile that made several girls go weak at the knees. As long as it was not Alyssa or Alaina, I was perfectly fine with him going out with anyone.

"Well, I was but you know August, have to beat the girls here first!" August was Edward's twin sister and they were almost as inseparable as me and Alaina.

"So where is she?" I asked as me and Edward walked down the aisle's pulling interesting materials off of the shelves. Edward smirked at me.

"She saw Sophie, you know the girl from Ravenclaw?" Edward said and I nodded in recognition. Sophie Batton was in our year and happened to be play beater on their Quidditch team.

"Wonderful girl," I said with a smile. "Good hitter with a bludger, too." I winced and rubbed my forearm subconsciously, where Sophie had once managed to hit me. Edward laughed and slapped me, not so gently on the arm.

"You defiantly got the blunt end of the knife that time around." Edward said as me made our way towards the cashier with our arms laden with merchandise.

"I was in the hospital wing for a week!" I growled with indignation. Edward laughed and rolled his eyes at me. The two of us made our way outside to wait for the two girls.

"Thats what made it so funny," Edward with a chuckle and he slapped me gently on the back. "And it was only a day, don't exaggerate." I swear that I had already heard that this morning. Edward and I sat ourselves done on the stairs in front of the shop, but as soon as we did, I knew something was wrong.

I glanced around quickly, and realized that something did not feel right. Not one bit. I pushed myself off the stairs and glanced around. There was no one to be seen. The usual busy street of Diagon Alley was quite bare and uninhabited. Edward too seemed to realize what was happening, and pulled his wand out of his pocket.

"Am I just being paranoid, or is something really wrong here?" Edward asked as he stood by me. I nodded my head in agreement as my eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. To my shock, I saw a fellow Gryffindor running towards me in panic.

"Casey! Edward!" Remus Lupin yelled with his wand drawn out. Blood was dripping down his face from under his hairline. "It's You-Know-Who!"


	4. Death and Destruction

**Chapter 3**

"What's going on?" I asked in a tone of utmost worry. Edward had his wand straight out in front of him. He was peering around Remus as though he expected Death Eaters to come sprinting down the alleyway. As if they were sensing the danger, Alaina and Alyssa hurried out of the joke shop with no bags in their hands.

"Oh, Remus!" Alaina cried, and she sprinted towards him. Alaina and Remus had always been good friends. At one point and time, they had tried dating, but it ultimately failed. They harbored each others secrets and looked towards one another as brother and sister.

Remus and I had never been extremely good friends. However, being roommates for the past six years has helped me learn to have a certain respect for Remus, and vice versa.

Alaina reached up and touched Remus' cut hesitantly, and he let her. After letting out a wince of pain, Remus grabbed Alaina's hand and started talking in a rush.

"You-Know-Who was here. He already left, but there is a lot of damage control that needs to be done. He killed James' parents. We have to go help. Your dad is with them."

The four of us followed Remus back the way he had came. As we ran farther away from the joke shop in. Diagon Alley we were astonished to see so much damage, but when we reached the area where James and the other Marauders were, we were absolutely shocked to the point of immobility. Walls of shops were crumbling from areas where spells had obviously hit them. Bodies upon spilled frog spawn and other ingredients in the streets from the Apothecary.

James Potter was kneeling on the ground between two bodies. He was sobbing into hands and Sirius Black was standing behind the messy haired boy, his hand upon his shoulder. Tears were running down Sirius' face. Peter Pettigrew was standing far away from James and Sirius, his eyes wide and his skin a ghostly white.

Remus walked straight over to his friends without even bothering to give us an explanation. I wanted to walk forward to see what I could do to help, but I was cut off by my father rushing forward and enveloping me and Alaina in a hug. I squealed in horror as my dad grabbing me with tears flying down his face.

"Oh kids!" My father sobbed into Alaina's hair. "That's it! No running off!" My dad refused to let go as both me and Alaina struggled to get out of his grasp. He seemed almost scared that the moment he did me and my sister would run off again. "I thought you were both dead!" Though I now felt bad about running off, I felt the strong urge to breathe.

"Well, we aren't dead, dad, but if you want to keep us that way, you might want to let me and Alaina go soon!" I said, and my dad reluctantly let go. I turned towards my friends and saw that Alyssa looked extremely pale. I walked over and hesitantly draped my arm around her shoulders. She smiled beautifully at me thankfully, and leaned a little closer. My heart started to race a million miles a minute as I felt the warm radiating off of her body and onto mine.

"Mr. Riley, have you seen August?" Edward asked and it like my stomach had turned inside out. How could I have forgotten about Augusta? Edward must have been worried sick!

"Yes, Edward, I have. She is with everyone else we could evacuate in time. Let me tell you one thing. That girl did not want to go. She was too worried about you naturally." My dad said, and he managed a half grin. "She is in the Leaky Cauldron along with the others who could not apparate out. They magically barricaded the entryway. The minister himself has to undo it." Edward nodded his head, content with my father's answer.

I walked past my father as quickly as could, not gain his attention. I had a sick feeling in my stomach as I passed the dead bodies, but kept my eyes on the Marauders.

I knew that this was a planned attack. There was no way that it was random, and the Potters had been accidentally hit in the crossfire. Both Simon and Julienne Potter were important figures to the wizarding society. Simon was a large advocate for muggle-born rights, whilst Julienne was secretary to the Minister of Magic, which meant everything went through her.

Without them, the whole wizarding community was lost, and so was James Potter.


End file.
